Thanet Disabled Riding Centre

"It was lovely to have your money to help us lay this topping, thank you!" Nora Setterfield, founder of Thanet Disabled Riding Centre

Posted : 19/04/2019

At Christmas we donated to Thanet Disabled Riding Centre and the money was put towards a new topping for the riding area, which was laid last week and is now complete! We are very pleased to have been able to contribute to the amazing work that the centre does.

It was lovely to be able to visit the centre and see some horses and riders enjoying the new topping!

Thanet Disabled Riding Centre is a riding school for disabled children with a variety of disabilities and ages. At the moment they cater for approximately 60 riders, some of whom come from as far away as Canterbury for their specialist services. They pay close attention to the kids, with leaders and side-walkers alongside every rider! Coming to the centre really benefits the children by helping them to build strength as well as boosting their confidence and communication skills. They will try to accommodate all the children who come to them – their attitude is that if they have a horse who can cope with the child then they will welcome them!

We spent some time speaking to Nora, who mentioned that a lot of the older children often display challenging behaviour at home or in school but that being around the horses really helps to calm them down. She believes this is because they don’t let the kids rest while they are there: from the moment they arrive they are always involved in something which focuses their attention.

The new topping is a mixture of sand and grit, which is ideal because it allows water to drain away quickly and the texture is not affected when it’s wet. That means that there will be less disruption for the riders. It is something the centre has wanted for a while and our donation was able to help them make it happen. After two days of work on it last week, the new surface is now complete! It was lovely to be able to visit the centre and see the amazing work that they do and meet the people who make it possible.

If you would like to find out more about their work or make a donation then visit their website http://www.tdrc.org.uk/home/4570996899